The Greatest Thing
by BloodyMarie
Summary: An edited version of my other story, it's very different. Same inital plot, Christine and the Phantom at the Moulin Rouge, special appearnces by your favorite MR characters. Oh, and a lot more dance numbers.


The Greatest Thing

Chapter 1: Ten Years

Love. It is something we all deal with one time or another in our small and pathetic existance. Why do we do it to ourselves? What gives us hope? If all we are going to do is lock ourselves in sorrow for years, then why do we do it? Why risk wasting years of our meaningless lives? It is stories like these that do this, stories like these that push us over the edge? Stories that make us hope and wish... Or convince us that maybe, one day, we can find someone who will love us as we loved them. Someone to take you away, make you forget and help you understand why we live if our lives are indeed so useless. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But there is one story where all hope was lost, and everything had been sealed with a single kiss and a farewell. This story is special because it salvages the remains of the romance before it. Of course they say... Your one true love, never dies...

xXx

Shadows... You can't run from them wherever you go... There is _always_ one right behind you.

This was something that young Christine Daae learned through a harsh lesson, one that made her sick with regret. The girl sighed as she stared out at the rising sun, invading Paris and it's nightlife. Her eyes swam over the distance, then took on a dream like state when they fell upon the forbidden bohemian village. She shivered and looked away as a man joined her. His arms encircled her from behind and she leaned back despite herself. One of her hands came up and played with his blond tresses though she bit her lips as he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder.

"It is cold, come in side Christine." His voice fluttered against her ear.

The girl simply stood still, eyes staring out at the horizon as her hand lowered from him and went to spread over his, gently massaging the backs of them.Of course she loved Raoul, he was her very best friend. But there were some days when she wished that was all he was. She sighed and pulled away from him and venturing inside as she pulled her robe closer. She turned back to Raoul as he closed the large glass doors that led out onto the balcony. When he turned back to her she offered him a small smile which he took with sparkling eyes. He came to her and gathered her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. She buried her face into his shoulder and breathed in deeply. He smelled good, warm, safe. He reminded her of the brother she never had. His hand came to tilt her chin up as he leaned over to kiss her but she turned away with a hollow look in her eyes, staring out the window again. Raoul sighed and settled on holding her closely.

"You know he is dead Christine, why do you still hope?"

The girl in his arms shifted but did not pull away as she turned her head to look up at him with those liquid chocolate eyes.

"I hope because no matter how many times you kiss me, hold me, tell me you love me... You cannot change the fact that I did love him, very much... I still do love him. He was my everything for ten years Raoul. He was always there... Despite the fact that he was mad... And his disfigurment, I cannot simply let go of ten years. Ten years in which, you were not there." She sighed and pulled away from him though he tried to hold onto her, he let her go. She went back to the window and wrapped her arms around herself, staring out at the waking city. "And if he is dead, then I ask you, please let me mourn." She begged in whisper as Raoul's eyes slowly turned downcast in thought.

"Anything for you Christine." He said quietly before leaving her to herself.

Christine did not turn to watch him leave, and felt no remorse in him doing so. Her eyes traveled to the one building in the far distance that she would stare at for hours. It's blackened, charred state almost glowed with the rising sun, like some kind of demon.

She let her eyes slide closed.

_"Christine..."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Come here... Please."_

_Christine stood from her sitting position on the floor and closed the book she had been reading, setting it on a nearby table. She went to the shadows, but before she could step into them an arm slithered out and wrapped itself around her waist, gently pulling her into the darkness, into a shadowy embrace. She trembled, the dark invading her mind and frightening her slightly. She could feel him smirking as she closed her eyes, trying to push away her childish fears. Then she felt a cool hand at her cheek and her eyes shot open. He had removed his gloves... She looked up to where she thought his face might be and heard a small gasp. Had she been able to see, she too would have gasped at seeing him so deadly close that they had almost kissed. But at the last moment, he had pulled away. The hands at her waist slowly and cautiously ran down her hips and she felt herself being pulled closer to her shadow. Her trembling stopped._

_"Do not be afraid ma chere, I am in the darkness..."_

Christine opened her eyes and wiped away the tears. Every night she waited in the darkness and everynight her heart would swell when the shadows moved and then break when she realized she was only dreaming. It had been a year, and for a while, she pretended to be happy, pretended that this was truly what she wanted. But the lies had made her ill with grief. How could she pretend she didn't love him? Her angel, her phantom. How could she betray all those years, all the memories. Finally, she turned away from the window and went back to bed, havin been up all night just to watch the sunrise on this day.

She was going to run... Later, today, if she had the courage by nightfall, she was going to run, and she knew exactly where she was going as well.

((A/N: Yes, so, I am back. This is the edited version of my other story. There will be quite a few changes, one major one, I think you can all see which it is. Some of the chpters of the story will be cut and there are a lot of things that will be added, I hope the whole thing can be up by spring, hopefully. I own nothing except the plot and maybe a few characters. If you guys have a favorite part from the draft version, and you really, really want it in this version, tell me so I can work it in.))


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